Syrena
Syrena was a mysterious Mermaid who resided at Whitecap Bay. This beautiful, alluring, and enigmatic Mermaid swam against the tide of her more lethally-minded sisters of the sea. Mystery surrounded that Mermaid, even down to her true name, for "Syrena" was what she's called by Missionary Philip Swift during her captivity by Blackbeard. Fate had brought Philip and Syrena together, but their connection went much deeper. After her fellow Mermaids led an Attack on Blackbeard's Crew, Syrena and Philip began to recognize a quality in each other, which drew them together and allowed them to become allies. Each discovered more of their true beings, but risked their lives when they listened to the sounds of their hearts. Biography Early Life Not much was known about Syrena's early life at Whitecap Bay. Syrena wasn't a typical Mermaid: while the other mermaids were quite dangerous, she was rather timid.Astrid Berges Frisbey interview Quest for the Fountain of Youth Capture During the Quest for the Fountain of Youth, Blackbeard's Crew had a mission to lure a Mermaid for one their Tears, as a Mermaid's Tear was needed for the Ritual of the Fountain of Youth. The Mermaid hunt lead to a fierce battle between Mermaids and Pirates. After Whitecaps Bay's remote Lighthouse exploded, while the other Mermaids fled, Syrena saved the Missionary, Philip Swift, from being crushed by falling debris, by pulling his legs out from under him. However, as she swam away, Syrena became trapped under a piece of debris herself. Though dazed, Philip noticed the Mermaid's tail flapping around. Philip pulled the debris out of the way and, reaching his sword, drove the blade through her tail. She rose out of the water, stared at Philip, and their eyes met. After he saw the fear in Syrena eyes, Philip pulled his sword from her tail. Something passed between them: an understanding, kindred spirits. Suddenly a net came down over the Mermaid, and she was held by the Blackbeard's Quartermaster. The Pirates had caught a live Mermaid. Philip had guilt, as he couldn't deny his part in her capture. Syrena hissed fiercely as Blackbeard ordered his crew to make for a protected cove. Search in the Jungle Blackbeard and his crew began searching for the Fountain of Youth through a Jungle-Infested Island. As a Mermaid's Tear would not keep for long, she had to be brought along so that a tear could be harvested fresh. She was carried around in a large water tank that was carried by four members of Blackbeard's Crew. Part way through the journey, the water tank was broken, Syrena fell to the ground, lost her aquatic form, and assumed a human shape. Not used to walking on two feet, and wounded from when Phillip stabbed her fin, Syrena was a stumbling, vulnerable figure. Philip gave Syrena his shirt to cover her and carried her the rest of the way through the jungle. During the journey, Syrena fell deeply in love with Philip, whom she thought was different than the other crewmen, being a protector. It was Philip who gave the Mermaid her name of "Syrena", in order to make the Pirates see her as a person and not a creature. As a man of God, Philip was the only crew member who treated her with any dignity or respect. Jungle Pools Shortly after arriving into the Jungle Pools, Blackbeard tried to force Syrena to cry by showing the remains of other Mermaids, and told her of how they were left to die a slow, painful death. However, Syrena would not yield, which prompted Blackbeard and his crew to figure out a way to torture Syrena for the tear. Philip spoke out against Blackbeard, and showed his care for Syrena. After he realized that the two of them fancied each other, Blackbeard threatened to have Philip killed unless Syrena brought forth a tear. As Scrum held a vial to Syrena's eye, Syrena simply stared with only sadness. As a result, Blackbeard tossed a knife to the Quartermaster, who seemingly slit Philip's throat. As Philip's body was dumped in a nearby ravine, Syrena was left at the pools. Syrena lay tied to the stakes, half immersed in the water, until a miracle happened: Philip returned to her, untied her, and set her free. Amazed in wonder at Philip rescuing her, Syrena let loose a tear of joy. Philip told her that she was different from the others, just as Syrena had said about him earlier. Blackbeard's Crew suddenly appeared and managed to get a tear from Syrena. After he finally had the tear that he needed, Blackbeard ordered Syrena to be rebound back in the Jungle Pools, and left her to die. After he escaped from the Fountain of Youth, Philip went to save Syrena and she was able to escape. She managed to find the two Chalices of Cartagena in the waters of the Fountain and gave them to Jack Sparrow. Syrena told Jack to not let her tear go to waste. Syrena then went to find the injured Philip and he asked for her forgiveness. After she brought him underwater, Syrena kissed Philip to heal him and gave him the ability to breathe underwater. They swam off together through the pools to freedom. Her further fate was unknown. Personality and Traits Syrena possessed a unique personality for a Mermaid. Instead of being vicious and manipulative like the rest of her kind, she was reserved and compassionate. Other than being hostile when the Pirates captured her at Whitecap Bay, Syrena displayed no traits of vicious behavior and did not attempt to kill any human, or even showed the desire to, even though she did hiss at her captors, which showed at least some hostility. It was unknown if Syrena ever displayed behavior like her sister Mermaids in the past and it changed because of what she sensed in Philip, or if she was different all along from the other Mermaids and never was vicious. She had all the skills of a Mermaid, but used them to save Phillip's life when the Lighthouse exploded and debris nearly fell on him, instead of drowning him. Syrena fell in love with Phillip, who saved her life, which made her the only known Mermaid ever to fall in love with a human. Behind the Scenes *Syrena was portrayed by Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. *While filming On Stranger Tides, one of the sets was visited by Tim Powers, author of the novel of the same name. It wasn't until Powers visited the set that the film crew learned that his wife's name was "Serena".Disney Second Screen: Pirates Of The Caribbean On Stranger Tides *It was possible that Syrena was inspired by Ariel from The Little Mermaid, another Mermaid-related Disney Film where a Mermaid fell in love with a human. *The Love Story between Philip and Syrena resembled many of the early legends of Mermaids, where a fierce and beautiful maiden from the sea would fall in love with a man from the church. The legend of the Mermaid Morveren from Zennor, Cornwall England fell in love with a local Choir boy named Matthew Trewella was just one example of that. *To an extent of one's point of view, Syrena could be considered a prime character to the plot of On Stranger Tides. Because it was she who decided Angelica and Blackbeard's respective fates, and unintentionally when she cried a Mermaid's Tear for Philip, but intentionally when she brought Jack the Chalices to save Angelica. Appearances *''Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides'' *''LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game'' Sources *''Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides'' *''Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: The Visual Guide'' References Category:Mermaids Category:Females